Electric switch



May 22, 1962 L. B. HAIGH I'= TAL ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Jan. 5, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTORS. 193.41 15: i2, BY 1912: 611% 22295 AT RNEY May 22, 1962 B. HAIGH ETAL 3,036,182

ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Jan. 5, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 IN VEN TOR. Lesfie B. Hagfi. BY Max 61 Kofmey ATTORNEY Brooklyn, N.Y., assignors to International Telephone land Telegraph Corporation, a corporation of Maryand Filed Jan. 5, 1946, Ser. No. 639,285 2 Claims. (Cl. 200-159) The present invention relates to a rail joint switch for control of an electric circuit, and more particularly in connection with a device for initiating the detonation of a shaped charge in response to weight or force exerted by locomotive or car wheels passing over the rail joint.

The joint switch or track switch when used for detonation control should be designed so that when mounted in its proper place it is practically invisible, even when subject to the normal scrutiny of a track walker.

The main object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a rail joint switch which is difficult to detect and which can be operated, for example by the wheels of a passing locomotive or car.

It is another object of the present invention to design the joint switch in such a way that it tits and remains in proper position in the open space between two adjacent rail tracks.

With these and other features in mind the invention will become apparent and clearly understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational front view of the switch seen from the cover side;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the switch, the tongue extension of the cover plate being bent over 90;

FIG. 3 shows in enlarged scale an elevational view of the upper part of the switch body with inserted springs and insulating bodies;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the switch body from which all elements have been removed;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the lines 55 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view along the lines 6-6 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the switch in supported position between rails.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be seen that the joint switch consists of a preferably case-hardened steel plate or body 1 forming a hollow chamber 2 and two slots 3 provided in the downward extending portion of the plate or body 1. Mounted in the chamber 2 are two preferably silver plated beryllium copper contact springs 4 and 5. The contact springs 4 and 5 are insulated from the body 1 by means of a preferably plastic insulator 6 inserted into the chamber 2 of the body 1. They are held in place and insulated from one another by insulator plates 7 and 8, respectively. A small preferably hardened steel plunger 9, guided by a hole extending from the chamber 2 to the top of the body 1, projects approximately preferably A2" beyond the top of the body 1, which plunger 9 provides means for eifecting electrical contact between the two contact springs 4 and 5. The plunger 9, which serves as actuating pin, bears against an insulating strip 19 inserted between the insulator 6' and the contact spring 5. The actuating pin 9 is maintained in its projecting position by the tension of the upper contact spring 5 and is limited in its upward travel by the shoulder 11 provided at the lower end of the pin 9. A fixed air gap of preferably is maintained between the two contact springs 4 and 5 in the normal position of the switch when the pin 9 extends the full length of preferably /8" beyond the top of the switch. When the actuating pin 9 is depressed for example by the wheels 3,935,182 Patented May 22, 196.

ice

of a passing locomotive or car, contact is established be.- tween the two insulated conductors 12 and 13, each of which is attached to the lower portion of the respective contact springs 4 and 5. The two conductors 12 and 13, inserted into the slots 3 of the lower portion of the body 1 and leading out from the switch body 1 are terminated at pin plugs 14 (FIG. 2) which are adapted for electrical connection to any associated apparatus (not shown). It is clear that the switch is controlled in such a way that as a wheel of a passing locomotive or car passes over the joint switch the circuit is established.

The overall thickness of the joint switch, comprising the body 1, insulator plate 15 and cover plate 16, is preferably limited to a maximum of Me" and, therefore, will fit into any rail joint opening which has at least a 4;" gap. The external contour of the joint switch follows about the cross-section of a rail and is such that when the switch is inserted into an open rail joint the only easily visible portion is the preferably 4;" projection of the actuating pin 9. The body 1 of the switch is then preferably painted black and the actuating pin 9 remains unfinished so that the entire assembly will blend with the rail 16a (FIG. 7) and be practically invisible even when subject to the normal inspection of a track walker. As stated before, the hollow body 1, after inserting the insulator 6, the springs 4 and '5 and the conductors 12 and 13 as well as the insulator plates 7 and 8, is covered entirely by another insulator plate 15 following the contour of the body 1 and finally with a preferably medium carbon steel sheet metal cover 16 which is attached to the main body 1 by rivets, screws or the like. The cover 16 is fabricated with projecting cars 17 at the sides of its upper part, which ears are adapted to be bent over in order to adjust the switch for various sizes of rails. Where the joint switch is to be used in small size rails the side projecting ears 17 are folded back on the body of the switch so that when the switch is inserted into an open rail joint the bottoms of the folded ears rest against the splice bars (not shown) so that the actuating pin 9 projects /s" above the top surface of the rail. It is, of course, important that no part of the body 1 of the joint switch projects above the rail nor beyond the sides of the rail.

The cover plate 16 is further so designed that a tongue portion 18 preferably /2" wide and 8" long projects beyond the switch body 1 which fits into the gap between the two splice bars joining the two rail ends. When the joint switch is placed in position the above mentioned cover tongue 18 is folded under the head of the rail to prevent the switch from lifting out due to rail shift caused by approaching locomotives or cars.

When the join-t switch is placed in a rail joint opening which is greater than the thicknms of the joint switch, it is necessary to properly block the joint switch. The latter must be so placed that the case-hardened body of the switch bears against the rail end and that the blocking wedges or ears 17 bear against the cover side of the switch. This procedure will eliminate the possibility of irregular projections on a rail end deforming the sheet steel switch cover, thereby causing interference with the proper action of the switch.

'It will be clear from the foregoing description of the joint switch that it contains a minimum of elements, namely one body forming a hollow chamber, the latter receiving insulators and two contact springs and a cover plate retaining the elements inserted into the hollow chamher in proper position. The switch is actuated by a pin, the pressure of which brings about contact between the two springs inserted into the chamber of the body 1. This simple construction is essential in order to eliminate all possible sources for improper operation of the switch.

FIG. 7 discloses how the switch 1 is interposed and supported between rails 16a by the splice bars 16b and Me which join said rails. The exploded view renders it clearly apparent how the actuating pin 9 is the only visible projection extending above the tread of rails 16a. The tongue 18 is shown bent at at an angle, as in FIG. 2, to catch under the web o-f-the'- rail to prevent it from being lifted out of position by an approaching train. The projecting ears 17 are shown bent over against the body 1 of the switch and in position to have their bottom foldedover portions resting on the rail splice bars.

While we have disclosed the principles of our invention in connectionwith a single embodiment, it will be understood that this embodiment is given by way of example only and not as limiting the scope of the invention as set forth in the objects and the appended claims.

What we claim is: a

1. A ra-i-l joint switch adapted to be inserted into the space between two adjacent rail ends joined together with splice bars comprising a one-piece T-shaped body thin enough to fit into said space in an upright position, with the upper portion of said body forming the horizontal portion of the T, shaped so that its outer edge-s conform to the contour of the portion of the rail above the web thereof when the body is inserted between the rail ends with said upper portion resting on said splice bars, and the lower portion of said body forming the straight vertical portion of the T having a width slightly less than the thickness of the web of the rail, so that it will slip between the splice bars, said body having a shallow depression in said upper portion forming an elongated chamber therein with an opening in the top of said upper portion communicating with said chamber, a pair of cooperating contact springs within said chamber and with the ends of said springs positioned in vertical spaced relation beneath said opening, insulator means for insulating said springs from said body, a cover plate for closing said chamber, means for securing said plate to said body, and

means comprising a movable pressure element extending through said opening and beyond the upper surface of said body for closing said contacts when said element is depressed.

2. A rail joint switch, as defined in claim 1, further comprising a pair of downwardly projecting ears at the sides of the cover plate, said ears adapted to be bent back upon the cover plate to provide resilient spacing means to take up excess space between the body member and the rails to hold said body frictionally between the rail ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 487,904 Krulis Dec. 13, 1892 732,559 Hilton June 30, 1903 744,354 Jordan Nov. 17, 1903 833,152 Bielak et al. Oct. 16, 1906 870,232 Getchell Nov. 5, 1907 995,910 Russell June 20, 1911 1,149,787 Sebok a Aug. 10, 1915 1,316,158 Hynes Sept. 16, 1919 1,619,010 Wilhelm Mar. 1, 1927 1,622,614 Stamos et al. Mar. 29, 1927 1,705,801 Bateholts Mar. 19,1929 1,725,293- Morgenstern Aug. 20, 1929 1,796,591 DePonte Mar. 17, 1931 1,868,460 Green July 19, 1932 1,868,992 Re Qua July 26, 1932 1,966,184 ONeill July 10, 1934 2,134,800 Putnam Nov. 1, 1938 2,332,911 Hausler. Oct. 26, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 406,285 Great Britain Feb. 20, 1934' 

